Drugmakers are racing to scoop up patient health records and strike deals with technology companies as big data analytics start to unlock a trove of information about how medicines perform in the real world.

Apple Inc's move on Jan 24 to give iPhone owners information about the health of their batteries reverses the company's longstanding refusal to make such information available directly on iPhones and iPads, even though battery health has long been easy to check on Apple's Mac computers.

Managing your health care is moving increasingly to the palm of your hand – with new smartphone-enabled technology and wearable sensors that examine, diagnose and even treat many conditions and ailments.

Reflecting a trend of gamification, a growing number of apps are designed to help kids learn to manage their health, tackling subjects such as diabetes, asthma and even psychological aspects of growing up.